Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has filed a defamation lawsuit worth ₹500 crore against senior Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, and Gaurav Gogoi, accusing them of spreading unverified and damaging claims regarding his land assets.

The legal move follows recent statements by Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi, who alleged that an internal party investigation found Sarma and his family to be in possession of nearly 12,000 bighas of land across different parts of the state.

Rejecting the claims as baseless, Sarma had earlier warned that he would pursue legal remedies against what he described as smear tactics. On Tuesday, he confirmed that he had formally filed the case, seeking substantial damages for what he termed defamatory remarks made during a press briefing.

In a public post, Sarma said the Congress leaders had deliberately circulated misleading accusations to harm his reputation. He also asserted that he would not be deterred by political attacks or what he called coordinated propaganda driven by rivals.

The Chief Minister further challenged his critics to substantiate their claims in court if they possess credible evidence, stating that the era of making unaccountable political allegations is over.

The dispute comes at a time when Assam’s political climate is intensifying ahead of upcoming state elections. Adding to the tension, Sarma has also raised fresh allegations against Gogoi, claiming links between the Congress leader’s family and a Pakistani national, hinting at possible national security concerns.

The Congress has dismissed Sarma’s counter-accusations, arguing that he has failed to provide proof and accusing him of resorting to personal attacks instead of addressing governance issues.